For instance, a casting call for a young actor to star in a Galaxy Note 10.1 commercial was spotted by The Verge, no longer available officially but still visible in Google’s cache. The advert “will show a Galaxy Note 10.1 used for education, financial planning, and art” while the actor would play the role of a “teen student” that “uses his Galaxy Note 10.1 to record, take pictures, edit” and more.

It’s not the first we’ve heard of Samsung looking to extend S-Pen functionality beyond the 5.3-inch Galaxy Note. Back in January, a Samsung product marketing manager hinted that the company saw obvious advantages for tablets with digital pens; “I think a pen interface continues to make a lot of sense across a number of screen sizes,” Ryan Biden revealed, ”like the larger is more obvious of those.”

That Samsung would reuse the Wacom-based pen technology is unsurprising. An S-Pen SDK has already been released, allowing developers to create their own apps which use the more accurate input option, and Samsung has been releasing software tailored to the stylus through its own on-device app store.

With the Galaxy S III no longer expected at Mobile World Congress it looks like Samsung will still have a few interesting tricks up its sleeve for the show. We’ll be in Barcelona at the end of February to bring you all the details.

The phone racked up 4412 points in the new Quadrant benchmark. That makes the X3 significantly faster than the Samsung Galaxy Tab that scored roughly 2200 points, the Samsung Galaxy Nexus scored only about 2000 points, and the Nexus S scored about 1500 points. The X3 from LG will be a high-performance device indeed.

The X3 has a 4.7-inch screen with a resolution of 720 x 1280, 2000mAh battery, and 16GB of internal storage. The device also has a microSD slot for memory expansion, a 1.3 megapixel front facing camera, an eight-megapixel rear camera, and it runs Android 4.0.3. One interesting thing is that the phone that was benchmarked was running Android 4.0.3 and showed a 2.6.39 kernel.

[via Android.Modaco]

The company already offers Bluetooth speakers with the HTC Rhyme, but according to the tipsters and more substantial “wireless boombox” is in the pipeline. That would use Bluetooth to stream audio from HTC phones and tablets, as well as presumably offering some degree of remote control over playback.

HTC has apparently been in talks with Spotify previously, as well as other streaming music providers, around powering a service for HTC devices, but the negotiations failed to go anywhere. Instead, Iovine is believed to be using his heft in the industry to create a Spotify rival, something fellow music execs are tipped to approve of as it could potentially dilute Spotify’s rising star.

The service will be preinstalled on HTC devices, though it’s unclear as to whether it will demand a subscription or, like Nokia Music on the Finnish company’s Lumia devices, be a free addition intended to encourage shoppers to pick HTC phones and tablets rather than those of rival manufacturers, even if they run the same underlying OS. Pricing plans and other details are still being worked on, supposedly, but HTC is tipped to have “long harbored” ambitions around streaming music services. The company already offers streaming video using its HTC Watch rental system.

HTC could reveal the new music platform as early as the Barcelona mobile show at the end of February, where it’s also tipped to be bringing three new Android smartphones – including the Ville and Edge – and a new tablet. We’ll be at Mobile World Congress bringing back all the details as they’re announced, and you can keep up with all the news in our MWC 2012 hub.

Even if Apple branches out into a second slate, it’s unlikely to subsequently follow Samsung’s path of a different tablet for every individual buyer. Part of Apple’s constraint is app resolution, or more accurately maintaining compatibility across multiple screen resolutions. Right now that means the initial iPhone (320 x 480), the Retina Display introduced by the iPhone 4 (640 x 960), and the iPad (1024 x 768). Talk of the Retina Display toting third-gen iPad has suggested a literally doubled resolution, to 2048 x 1536, with evidence of suitable graphics found in recent iOS 5.x betas.

The limiting factor isn’t technology, or even apps and usability – despite what Steve Jobs might have said – it’s supply. Apple needs to have sufficient amounts of whichever panel it settles on, likely a 7.85-inch IPS LCD according to previous rumors and past evidence, to ensure it can meet the expected demand. We’ve already seen what an LCD shortage can do to iPad availability, after all.

A 7.85-inch 1024 x 768 panel, therefore, would allow a so-called “iPad mini” to use the same apps as the existing iPad 2. Meanwhile, the  9.7-inch iPad could go on to adopt the high-resolution display in iPad 2S/3 form and, potentially, a higher sticker price, Apple perhaps assuaging any consumer frustrations with a price cut for the existing iPad 2.

Although rumors have suggested Apple will shift to a larger, perhaps 4-inch display on the next-gen iPhone 5, a tweener tablet and sticking with 3.5-inch smartphone screens arguably makes more sense. No dip in pixel density for the new iPhone, unlike if it spread its current 640 x 960 across a bigger panel, and no need for developers to cook up new handset versions of their apps, if instead the resolution changed.

We won’t know for sure until we see the first signs of Apple’s 2012 tablet strategy early next month, but until then let us know how excited you are about the upcoming iPad 2S/3 in the SlashGear poll below.

Sony’s Kaz Hirai – at the time chief of the company’s Computer Entertainment division, and since made overall CEO – said that the PlayStation Suite platform “isn’t an ecosystem where we want to keep everything within the Sony family.” Instead, it’s intended to be Sony’s first “cross-platform endeavor” he explained.

The PlayStation Suite has, so far, been limited to Sony and Sony Ericsson hardware. As well as the gaming smartphone, certification has been extended to Sony’s Tablet P and Tablet S hardware, giving the slates access to the PlayStation download store with various classic PSOne titles.

The news goes some way to addressing the question of whether Sony intends to try to sell customers all of the hardware – phone, tablet, TV and computer – in its “four-screen” strategy, or of ceding some of the market by embracing a cross-manufacturer ecosystem. Hirai has been blunt in suggesting that Sony must look to user experience not simply hardware if it wants to turn its fortunes around, and part of that strategy appears to be bringing other OEMs onboard to fill in potential gaps in its line-up.

The smaller iPad will have a screen resolution the same – or “similar” – to the existing iPad 2, or 1024 x 768, one source indicated. That would suggest Apple was sticking with the 4:3 aspect ratio, sensible given iPad apps are currently designed for that. Similar rumors – citing the same suppliers – broke last October, with a 7.85-inch screen size tipped.

However, while the supplier insiders say Apple has been showing potential designs for the new tablet around suppliers, it’s also pointed out that such product flirtation isn’t unusual: and, it often doesn’t amount to a commercial device. Although the company has been slow and steady with its iPhone range, sticking to a single “flagship” device at any one time and keeping older models on the market to satisfy lower price points, Apple is supposedly considering an iPod-style strategy with tablets where different models would address different use-cases.

If true, the new “iPad mini” would be another example of Apple dismissing a product category before subsequently entering it. Steve Jobs memorably blasted 7-inch and similar tablets as “tweeners” back in October 2010, arguing that their scale “isn’t sufficient to create great tablet apps” and suggesting that such models should include sandpaper so that users could file their fingers down to a usable size.

“Apple has long contemplated different tablet designs” the WSJ’s sources say, though again there’s no guarantee that contemplation will lead to production. Nonetheless, even with a third-gen iPad expected on March 7, this looks to be a rumor that won’t die any time soon.

The search giant has been cagey about revealing exactly what will be going on in the new facilities, saying only that the extended office space – believed to occupy around 800,000 square feet – will be used for “additional meeting and work space.” However, details discovered in city filings suggest Google is ramping up for an increased focus on hardware and hardware testing.

For instance, one facility will include an “RF screen room [which] will be used to test the WiFi performance and development of a consumer product” according to one of Google’s real estate team last year. The building is assigned to the “Google/@home” division, though other areas are supposedly for the “X Lab” or “Project X” teams working on some of Google’s more clandestine projects, such as HUD Smart Glasses.

At the center of the Googleplex is expected to be the Google Experience Center, a 120,000 square foot hub ”to share visionary ideas, and explore new ways of working” that, as one architect on the project wrote in 2011, will “operate somewhat like a museum, exhibit, or mercantile space allowing flexibility in the exhibits so that as Google’s products and needs change, the space can adapt.”

Google is near to acquiring Motorola Mobility, its biggest hardware play to-date, though other elements of physical product development have seemingly already been underway for some time now. Whether the company can convince both the public and the privileged guests of the Experience Center that Google hardware stands a chance of succeeding where, say, Google TV has struggled, remains to be seen.

Unfortunately, right now there’s little more than naming information for the new HTC apps. It’s unclear whether HTC has followed in Apple’s footsteps and created – or licensed – a true Siri-style digital personal assistant, or whether it’s the more mundane voice-dictation and shortcut system we’ve seen on other Android devices. Still, we’ve been saying HTC should push ahead with its services as a way of differentiating itself from other smartphone manufacturers, so this could be a good sign.

As for video editing, the functionality is apparently not that which Google baked into Ice Cream Sandwich, but an app of HTC’s own. Again, no screenshots or real details at this stage, but the software has apparently been branded to suit HTC Sense 4.0.

The HTC Endeavor – along with the HTC Ville – is expected to make its official debut at Mobile World Congress later on this month, and we’ll be there to bring back all the details. The smartphones are part of what HTC has described as its “Hero Device” strategy, a return to quality-over-quantity that the company hopes will turn around its fortunes.

Pegatron, perhaps unsurprisingly, opted to stick with Apple’s contract rather than that of ASUS. The OEM won iPhone construction contracts last year, and is apparently angling for iPad 3 contacts now. Zenbook production is expected to cease with Pegatron at the end of March, and switch over to either Compal or Wistron.

ASUS is said to be trying to keep news of Apple’s OEM machinations low-key, with a spokesperson only telling the paper that it always attempts to be flexible in its supply chain.

Pegatron was not responsible for the Zenbook design, which was supposedly carried out entirely in-house by ASUS’ own teams, and so Apple’s pressure is not believed to connected to any reusing of ideas on the OEM’s part. However, it’s suggested that this insistence on suppliers “choosing sides” between Apple contracts and those of other companies that fail to meet with Cupertino approval is not likely to end at the Zenbook.

[via DigiTimes]

As well as wallpapers, ringtones and other customizations exclusive to HTC devices, there are also signs that HTC has been tweaking its shortcuts system. The lockscreen now shows not only the four app shortcuts as in previous versions of Sense, but a choice of either individual contact shortcuts – as shown below – or notifications.

HTC refers to the two layouts as “productivity” and “contacts”. There are also new, squared-off widgets, losing the bubbly, over-designed stylings of HTC’s older UI and replacing them with cleaner lines to match native Ice Cream Sandwich graphics.

The wallpapers are higher-resolution, too, fitting in with talk that the Endeavor – among other new HTC phones – will have a 720p HD display. 1GB of RAM, a 1.3-megapixel front camera and Dropbox integration are all tipped too.

We’re expecting to see full details on the HTC Edge/Endeavor at Mobile World Congress later this month.

[Thanks ibolito!]

The tipster isn’t the only one, either. Best Buy online shows the Apple TV as not available for shipping, as is also the case at Target; Walmart has removed the Apple TV from its online store completely. It’s a similar story at other online retailers, with only existing stock left on-hand in stores seemingly available.

International sales also seem limited, with retailers in the UK and Germany also showing either no supplies or small numbers. Apple’s own online store does still have stock, however.

It’s possible a new Apple TV could debut at Apple’s well-rumored early March event, so far expected to see the third-gen iPad get its official launch. However, Apple has slotted previous Apple TV refreshes as the “One other thing” in other events, so a shared spotlight for the third-gen variant isn’t beyond the realm of possibility.

Exactly what specifications the new Apple TV might bring is generally unclear. Mentions of the new set-top box in iOS 5.1 betas suggest it will come with Bluetooth 4.0, a low power version of the short-range wireless technology, though most users are hoping for 1080/60p Full HD support; the current model is limited to 720p. iOS app support would also be a sensible addition – the current model is capable of it, though not officially – to better compete with Google TV.

That said, this “Not for sale” labeled working unit does appare to have ScanSearch and what PlayTo has been renamed as: SmartShare, both of these previously exclusive the the Optimus 7, so some sort of exclusive business may be going on in the innards of this device. LG has been relatively quiet on the Windows Phone front thus far, bringing such lovely oddities as the LG Spectrum with Android to the market with a whole lot more force, so this could be their play for the center of the ring. The mid-range of the smartphone world is always a great place to make a play when the top tier is overflowing with ultra-similar looking and functioning devices.

This device has been tipped separately as having a 1GHz Snapdragon and a 1GHz Scorpion processor, both of them single-core, while its front-facing VGA camera and back-facing 5 megapixel camera specs seem to have been holding up ever since inception. This device is expected to be announced inside the first quarter of 2012 – carrier remains unknown!

[via GSMArena]

Although Apple was historically known for its premium pricing, rival manufacturers and carriers offering Android tablets have struggled to match or significantly undercut the iPad’s sticker price. It’s unclear at this stage whether Apple will be forced to raise the cost of the iPad 3/2S because of the new technologies involved, but even if it does, the company could salve the pain by slashing the price of the existing model.

Apple has shown it is willing to play the long game on building out its product range. Although rumors of an “iPhone mini” have persisted almost as long as the original iPhone speculation itself, Apple has preferred to wait until its existing line has matured to the point where production costs allow for free-on-contract pricing. The launch of the iPhone 4S saw a three model smartphone line-up for the first time, the aging iPhone 3GS kept on as the “new” entry-level model while the superseded iPhone 4 grabbed the mid-tier spot.

That sort of strategy could well work for the iPad, especially given the tablet – unlike its smartphone counterpart – isn’t generally subsidized by carriers. Previous leaks from iPad 2 display suppliers have lent weight to the idea that Apple will maintain production of the second-gen model, and a more affordable device – say, from $399 or even less – would significantly increase pressure on any new tablets launched at MWC 2012.

In fact, the roll-out will be dependent on which carrier you’re with, and which country you live in. The Galaxy Note upgrade could drop anytime between March and May, Murtazin warns, while other Samsung models are also in line for an Android 4.0 refresh within that same period.

Meanwhile, Samsung is believed to be readying what could be the company’s first native Ice Cream Sandwich device, the Galaxy S III. Originally the new flagship was expected at MWC 2012 later this month, but Samsung recently warned that it would miss the show and instead debut at a standalone event sometime before the end of June.

Whenever the Galaxy S II and Galaxy Note get ICS, the expectation is that it will come with the company’s own TouchWiz modifications rather than pure Android 4.0 as on the Galaxy Nexus. We’re waiting to hear back from Samsung as to whether these timescales are accurate, and will update when we know more.

There’s also an 8-megapixel rear camera, with LED flash, and a VGA-resolution front camera. Inside is 1GB of RAM, and we’re guessing there’s a microSD card slot under the battery cover. HTC Sense 4.0 makes an appearance, unsurprisingly, on top of Ice Cream Sandwich, though there are four dedicated hardware keys for the Android control buttons rather than the on-screen buttons we’ve seen on the Galaxy Nexus.

That could change prior to launch, however; there’s no telling how old this prototype is, and what tweaks HTC might make before it actually hits the market. When that might be is also in question, with the source saying sometime this year but nothing more specific than that.

A Mobile World Congress release is unlikely, however, given HTC wouldn’t debut what’s most probably a North American phone at a European event. Instead, we’re expecting to see the HTC Ville, HTC Edge and perhaps the HTC Primo make their first official appearances there.

That comes as little surprise, given the most commonly leaked details about the upcoming tablet refresh are around its display and GPU abilities. While the first two iPad generations used a 1024 x 768 resolution display, Apple is tipped to have doubled that for the new model. That should add up to smoother, Retina Display style graphics and more detailed video playback.

Meanwhile, the graphics chip inside the iPad 3 is also said to have seen a significant boost, with Apple expected to use the new tablet to launch the A6 processor. Conflicting rumors have tipped the A6 as both a dualcore and a quadcore CPU, however.

Those apps that make Apple’s grade for the iPad launch event are also being considered for the inevitable big-budget ad campaign for the slate. The first advert is likely to be shown at the launch event itself, followed up with TV spots highlighting the newer features.

Still, based on past timescales, a retail release around a week after the iPad is unveiled seems most likely. Rumors had previously suggested that the third-gen iPad would be shown off publicly sometime this month, but sources later changed their story and suggested March would be the most likely launch window so as to allow sales close to the big reveal.

As for specifications, it’s unclear if the tablet will be the iPad 3 or the iPad 2S, but a “Retina Display” running at 2048 x 1536 is expected. Persistent rumors had indicated a quadcore processor, too, though more recent leaks have questioned whether the Apple A6 chipset believed to be at the heart of the new iPad could, in fact, be a faster dualcore.

A bigger battery and slightly redesigned casing are also in the pipeline, we’re led to believe, along with LTE connectivity. Apple declined to comment on the launch date suggestions, though if they turn out to be true we’re likely to see official invites fired out in the week prior, just in time for the company to distract from Mobile World Congress.

Polaroid surprised camera followers back at CES with the reveal of the SC1630, a device which ostensibly resembled a cellphone but in actual fact was intended to be a digital camera first and foremost. The SC1630 is equipped with a healthy 16-megapixel sensor and leverages Android for its social networking integration and file uploading capabilities, features Samsung has already made good use of in its Galaxy series of smartphones.

That could mean that Samsung is looking to push out a photography-focused mobile device, joining Galaxy phones, tablets and media players. Presumably the Galaxy Camera would bear a higher resolution camera than existing Samsung smartphones – which generally top out at 8-megapixels – and perhaps even include an optical zoom.

Following that route would allow Samsung to chase digital imaging fans without making its core smartphone range any fatter; according to recent leaks, the Galaxy S III expected to debut within the next few months is targeting a 7mm-thick casing, with the 8-megapixel camera the only bump on the otherwise slimline build. Camera geeks might be more willing to accommodate a chubbier device if it delivers improved optics, however.

[via SammyHub]

The Edge is believed to be at the pinnacle of HTC’s new “Hero Device” strategy, as the company attempts to break away from the quantity-over-quality strategy that saw it lose market share in 2011. HTC has also formed a new “HTC Studio” division, bringing together key engineering, design, software and other expertise to focus on polished phones and tablets, along with the flexibility to look beyond current bosom-buddy Qualcomm for its chip supplies.

Companies opting for Tegra 2 last year saw their dual-core Android phones hit the market well in advance of HTC’s Qualcomm-based dual-cores, leaving the firm on the back foot in marketing terms at least. NVIDIA’s graphics expertise is also cited by the sources as of key interest to HTC.

HTC is expected to launch a new tablet early in 2012, in addition to phones, though it remains to be seen if the company will use Tegra 3 for that as well as the Edge. Meanwhile LG and others are already believed to have committed to NVIDIA’s chip.

The group reportedly took advantage of an Internet Explorer vulnerability that had been left unpatched by a Foxconn employee, pulling out sensitive information from the company’s servers and bundling it into a freely-available torrent. Other users were encouraged to access the servers using the disclosed passwords, which could reportedly be used to place fake orders with Foxconn under the names of its vendor partners like Apple, Microsoft, Intel and Dell.

“This is Swagg Security, we aim to to reshape your perspectives, our perspectives, by the inducing of entertainment. A unique approach to spreading a unique philosophy which brings the sought after tranquility. In a way we are “hacktivist”, but in our own views we are Greyhats. We believe there is no reality in hacktivism, even with good intentions. We know those who claim to be “hacktivists” that inside of you, a suppressed part of you, enjoys playing a part in the anarchist event of hacking of an infrastructure. One which at the same time presents a challenge, upon completing reveals an almost unknown feeling of a menacing satisfaction. We encourage not to continue quelling such a natural emotion but to embrace it. Only when embracing what society has taught you to hinder, is when you realize your own identity” Swagg Security statement

Although Foxconn has been in the headlines recently around allegations of worker abuse, with staff said to be underpaid and subject to arbitrary and unfair disciplinary procedures, the hackers claim not to be working on some moral crusade. “Although we are considerably disappointed of the conditions of Foxconn,” the group said, “we are not hacking a corporation for such a reason.”

The security breach is the latest in an increasing number of tech attacks in recent months, with hackers broaching company servers in chase of chaos, private information or even extortion. Earlier this week, Symantec’s Norton Antivirus code, among other data, was released into the wild after attempts to coax a $50,000 payment from the company failed.

[via 9 to 5 Mac]

Dropbox also offers a $20 per month plan for 100GB of space. Google Drive is the culmination of “G Drive” rumors and plans dating back several years, with the much-tipped service originally expected to debut in 2007 but failing to materialize.

Drive will contain documents, photos and videos, and allow users to share their files via a download link rather than send the content directly through email or similar. There will also be Google Drive apps for mobile devices, it’s suggested, for uploading photos and video direct to the cloud store.

Google has declined to comment on the rumored service, but online storage is a relatively small step from the company’s existing product platform. Users are already offered free Gmail accounts, Documents stores, Google Music for audio uploads, and Picasa photo and video galleries, each accommodating several gigabytes of content. Corralling those under a single banner would be no great leap, though Google would likely come under increased attention over the possibility of users uploading copyrighted content.

[via Android Community]

The line-up includes well-known casual games like Angry Birds along with Reckless Racing and Toy Soldiers. No word from the source as to whether the titles will be paid or free, though Microsoft has said before that, during the pre-official launch later this year, only free apps will be supported in the Windows Store.

The preview Windows Store – and the Consumer Preview of Windows 8 – are expected to be released later this month. Recent leaks suggest Microsoft has killed off the Start button, though that won’t be confirmed until the preview arrives.

Of course, there’s more to Microsoft’s gaming strategy than Solitaire. The company has previously said that it plans to integrate Xbox LIVE into the new PC OS, just as it has with Xbox 360 and Windows Phone. That opens the door to cross-platform challenges and more.

• Hydro Thunder
• Toy Soldiers
• Reckless Racing
• Angry Birds
• Ilomilo
• Rocket Riot
• Full House Poker
• Tentacles
• Crash Course
• Ms Splosion Man
• Wordament

As we’ve heard previously, the Apple television – or “Apple iTV” as it has been unofficially dubbed – will use the personal digital assistant voice technology debuted on the iPhone 4S to cut through complex remote controls and on-screen menus. An integrated camera, meanwhile, would track hand gestures for non-verbal control, and an on-screen keyboard could be used for more complex text entry.

Exactly how Apple will blend together on-demand and live content without making navigation overly difficult is unknown, though Steve Jobs was keen to tell his biographer that he had “finally cracked” the issue.

Earlier this week, meanwhile, it was confirmed that Apple is using complex audio DSP from specialists Audience, baked into the Apple A5 chipset found in the iPhone 4S. That technology models the human hearing system, allowing the iPhone to differentiate from user commands and ambient noise with the smartphone at arm’s length. Apple is also a licensee of Audience’s third-gen DSP, though technical details are in short supply; still, any Siri-based television would need to be able to track voice commands from across the living room, without being distracted by extraneous sounds, which would seem to mandate the audio system.

[via Engadget]

At the time, a quadcore processor was tipped for the X3/P880, specifically NVIDIA’s Tegra 3, with the display a 4.7-inch panel in a device under 9mm thick. OS is Ice Cream Sandwich, and there are the usual twin cameras - 1.3-megapixels up front and and 8-megapixels on the back – along with 16GB of storage. Up to 21Mbps HSPA+, 802.11b/g/n WiFi, NFC and Bluetooth 4.0 round out the key leaked specs.

As for the LG P700, the UPnP listing confirms Ice Cream Sandwich, though the company’s own XML file suggests a mere 640 x 480 resolution display. That implies a mid-tier device, bringing Android 4.0 to lower price points, which Google needs if the OS is to begin ousting 2.x versions from the mainstream.

The expectation is that LG will be showing off these two new devices at MWC, and we’ll be there to bring back all the details.

[via Android Community and via Juggly]

Schaap managed to get OS X Snow Leopard “booting into a multi-user prompt” on the Marvell chipset, though there were lingering hardware issues that persisted. In the process, he needed to build a filesystem and kernelcache from the ground up, as well as work around old code in the existing ARMv5 branch of XNU.

A proper release, he suggested, would first require significant reworking of elements of code, along with new drivers to “fully utilize the potential” of Apple’s hardware. Apps themselves would also need to be re-written – or ported from ARM-based platforms – as well.

Nonetheless, it adds to ongoing suspicions that Apple is at least considering using ARM-based chips – such as the company’s own A5 and upcoming A6, as currently used in the iPad 2 and iPhone 4S – in notebooks as well as tablets and phones. At least one prototype MacBook Air running on an Apple A5 chipset has been reported, performing ”better than expected”, though it was not specified whether it was running iOS or OS X.

[via Apple Insider]

However, there’s no AT&T branding to be seen on this white Lumia 900, lending weight to speculation that Nokia will indeed be selling it – probably without LTE, however – outside of the US. That’s no bad thing, as the 4.3-inch phone has a great ClearBlack AMOLED display, 8-megapixel camera and a front-facing camera, along with a bigger, 1,830mAh battery than its Lumia 800 sibling.

Exactly when the international Lumia 900 will be confirmed is unclear, though with Mobile World Congress fast approaching there’s plenty of reason to assume it may be brought out into the light in Barcelona at the end of the month. Some UK retailers have already started listing it as a June release.

Meanwhile there’s also talk of an improved Lumia 910 complete with a 12-megapixel camera. That’s been tipped to arrive in May 2012.

[via WMPoweruser]

A 2-megapixel front facing camera for video calls is also promised, along with Full HD video recording. That will support playback via HDMI – presumably using an MHL-compliant microUSB port like many of Samsung’s existing phones – and LTE connectivity is tipped as well.

Samsung confirmed last week that the Galaxy S III won’t make its debut at MWC 2012 this month, though did say that the handset would be revealed sometime before then end of July. The company won’t talk specifications, though the leak suggests we’ll be seeing another Super AMOLED Plus display along with Android Ice Cream Sandwich.

We’d also expect to see HSPA+ on offer, along with NFC and the usual mixture of WiFi, Bluetooth, GPS and other sensors. Whether Samsung will subsequently have to follow Motorola’s lead with the DROID RAZR MAXX and release a second version with a bigger battery remains to be seen.

[via OLED-Display]

It’s assumed it refers to Apple’s sales and covers all Motorola Mobility patented technologies the Cupertino company uses. Even so, the figure appears excessive.

Apple has argued that it is covered by a cross-licensing agreement between Motorola and Qualcomm around 3G standards, since it uses Qualcomm radio chipsets in its more recent products. However, Motorola has made several attempts to block Apple’s request to bring that licensing agreement in front of the German courts, only eventually succeeding to have it discussed in a closed hearing.

One tidbit that was revealed in a late January 2012 Apple brief opposing a Motorola attempt to keep the agreement out of the courtroom is the FRAND licensing offer Motorola made. The figure is mentioned in a letter sent by the Bardehle Pagenberg firm representing Apple, to Dr. Marcus Grosch of Quinn Emanuel, Motorola’s German lead counsel.

Apple has argued that Motorola’s demands for licensing fees are excessive, and that the company has not adhered to FRAND rules that insist upon a reasonable rate.

To try to prove that, Apple is seeking information on how much other smartphone companies pay Motorola for the same patents, filing discovery motions in late January for details from Nokia, HTC, LG Electronics and Ericsson (though the latter was subsequently voluntarily dismissed). Motorola’s defense, it’s suggested, is likely to be that its deals with other manufacturers also include licensing agreements that work in the opposite direction, and that the royalty figures could be lower because of that.

Nonetheless, if Apple can prove Motorola has been unfair in its request then it could not only escape the injunction issued by the German courts last December, but land Motorola in hot water with the European Commission. The EC is already investigating Samsung over potential antitrust behavior in licensing FRAND patents, in part because of the Korean company’s suit against Apple.

The pilots are for “mobile and cross-platform rich-media ads” and, although details are in short supply, appear to be far more complex than mere banners and links. Razorfish mobile ad chief Paul Gelb likened the functionality Facebook is working on to rich media alternatives including combinations of interactivity and animation, streaming video and location-based features, in addition to tap-to-call and tap-to-coupon.

Whether Facebook’s platform will support all of those is unknown, though the social network already has a rich LBS provision including Check-Ins and support for local deals. That could open the door to mobile coupons where businesses compete to offer deals based on user interests, served up through the handset.

Although Facebook saw around 425m active users through its mobile interface in December 2011, the site does not “generate any meaningful revenue from users accessing Facebook through our mobile products” according to the IPO. There’s also talk of premium accounts in the pipeline as another way for Facebook to boost its profits.

Update: Razorfish’s Paul Gelb now says he was misquoted, and that the company “is NOT working with Facebook on any mobile media ad buying. Rather, in the interview I was referring to rich media featured stories, not paid ads.”

A Facebook spokesperson told us that “We want to clarify that we are not working with any agency to create paid ads on our mobile platform.”

[via mocoNews]

That integration isn’t expected to arrive until Windows Phone 8, according to leaks earlier this week. The updated smartphone OS will apparently offer deep hooks for Skype integration, though the VoIP service won’t be specifically baked into the platform, allowing internet-base calls to be handled just as easily as traditional voice calls.

This first iteration, therefore, will be a standalone app, though that’s likely enough to keep Windows Phone users satisfied for the time being. It’s been a point of frustration for adopters of the platform that, while Microsoft now owns Skype, so far most rival mobile platforms have access to a version whereas Windows Phone does not.

The practicalities of a Mobile World Congress launch depend on how well internal testing goes, it’s claimed, though the Skype app itself is said to be “near complete.” We’ve already suggested that Skype – and some clever investment by Microsoft – could be the wildcard Windows Phone needs, and it seems that time may well be close at hand.

While the press blurb on the image itself has plenty of hyperbole, we do know some rumored specs about the camera too. It’s tipped to have a magnesium, weather-sealed body weighing in at around 373g without a lens, while inside is believed to be a 16-megapixel sensor. That’s said to be  optimized for High Dynamic Range photography, with speedy AF, 3D tracking and a five-axis image stabilizer.

ISO 200 to 25,600 is expected, along with an integrated 1.44m dot digital viewfinder paired with a 3-inch 610k dot OLED screen that can tilt. Pricing is said to be in the region of $1,300, though that’s based on a roughly 100,000 yen figure in Japan, where the yen is notoriously strong.

We won’t have to wait long to find out, though. The Olympus OM-D is rumored to launch on February 8.

The Microsoft-owned VoIP service is “a separate but better app and not integrated into OS” Thurrott claims, and will remain “optional.” There appears to be some confusion around this; from what’s been said, it looks like Windows Phone 8 will offer deep-level hooks for Skype, allowing the app to integrate seamlessly alongside traditional voice calls as far as the user sees, though it won’t be bundled as part of the OS itself.

There’ll also be better use of sandboxing, with a way for Windows Phone 8 apps to communicate with each other but not cause each other to crash or leak data, and the DataSmart system is also confirmed. That, as Microsoft wrote about the same system on Windows 8 machines recently, will prevent mobile data causing “bill shock” headaches, with current real-time use shown on a homescreen live tile.

Windows Phone 8 will also be a more serious platform, as Microsoft sets its sights on enterprise customers. That means “full-device, hardware accelerated encryption with BitLocker and always-on Secure Boot capabilities” Thurrott claims, along with “Exchange ActiveSync policies and System Center configuration settings and inventory capabilities.”

Backward compatibility with Windows Phone 7.5 apps is a given, but developers will be able to make better use of a single code base for Windows Phone 8 and Windows 8 apps, as well as increase collaboration between apps on each platform.

Microsoft hasn’t commented on the leak, though ZDNet claims the company will be talking – albeit in private, closed-door meetings – about Apollo at MWC 2012 later this month. That’s likely a safety play to avoid overshadowing existing high-profile Windows Phones, as well as the Tango update which is expected to arrive prior to WP8.

Details on the February press gathering are unknown, and only described as “strange”; however, it’s said to be a non-product related event. That could mean services, similar to the iBooks event earlier this month.

The new iPad, meanwhile, will be shown off in early March, supposedly, then released later in the month. It’s unclear whether the refreshed model will be the iPad 3, as suspected until now, or the iPad 2S, a bridging model that will introduce a faster, Apple A6 processor and “Retina Display” screen, but leave more fundamental changes until later in 2012 or even beyond.

Leaks earlier this week, reportedly from a user with early access to the iPad 3, suggest the tablet will come with a global 3G/4G option. Apple is apparently using a combination GSM/CDMA/LTE modem, that will allow the slate to run on HSPA+ networks as well as LTE ones, though specific carrier support is unknown at this stage.

[via Mac Rumors]

However, a spyware leak from within MegaUpload’s own computers looks more likely to be the cause. “Electronic evidence was obtained though search warrants,” a spokesman for the US Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia said, “which are reviewed and approved by a US court.”

The suggestion is that the FBI deployed a tool called CIPAV, or “Computer and Internet Protocol Address Verifier”, which has been previously used to monitor web use in other investigations. Akin to more traditional spyware, CIPAV loiters silently on the victim’s computers keeping a record of software, IP address, which sites are being visited, traffic over the network and other details. Meanwhile, Skype text conversations are stored in a local folder, which CIPAV could easily have had access to.

Dotcom was denied bail in New Zealand last month, over concerns that the outspoken exec could attempt to flee extradition to the US. Meanwhile, legitimate users are still unable to access their own data stored on MegaUpload’s servers, though the Electronic Frontier Foundation and one of the file-sharing site’s hosts have joined forces to start MegaRetrieval, exploring the potential of extracting non-copyrighted uploads.

This new set of “leaked” or “teased” photos shows an interchangeable lens-having camera with one whole heck of a lot of working add-ons to go with it. There’s a rather notable 40mm f/2.8 lens in a fabulously thin profile sitting here in this future setup, and the whole device is set for awesome quick changes with what appears to be an HDR toggle for easy access. Forum posts surrounding the device have revealed quite a few fabulous specifications that might be showing up on this device including full HD video, a 3-inch LCD, and a total weight of 1.2lbs.

This device may well be coming in three different body colors if word on the street proves true, the package also coming with three different lenses as well. Built-in pop-up flash across the board as well, if you please. Have a peek at these leaked photos and see how well they match up with your future desires for a perfect Pentax.

UPDATE: This camera will likely be released officially at an event held tomorrow, so here’s crossing out fingers tightly!

BONUS: Here’a a BBC video special on Mark Newson so you can get a better idea of who we’re dealing with here – industrial design extraordinaire:

[via Pentax Forums]

The Apple A6 processor, meanwhile, has the model number S5L8945X. Details on the A6 have not been released by Apple, but the chipset is expected to have not only four cores but upgraded graphics capabilities driving a “Retina Display” panel running at 2048 x 1536 resolution. Despite their legal differences currently clogging up courts worldwide, Samsung is believed to be manufacturing the A6 for Apple.

As for connectivity, LTE has been well-rumored and would certainly fit in with Verizon and AT&T in the US. The combination modem would also make sense for the multiple countries without 4G LTE networks, presumably offering HSPA+ connectivity as well.

Of course, this sort of screenshot would be relatively straightforward to fake, and so – as with most Apple rumors – we’ll take them with a heaped serving spoon of salt. It’s unclear whether the tablet will be the iPad 3 or, as other rumors have indicated, that Apple will push out an iPad 2S first as a more incremental update.

The user interface looks rather simple, right in line with what we’ve seen of BlackBerry 10 thus far, while the hardware is what they say it is – “elegant, understated, precise, solid, and slim.” The user interface is a “dramatic shift” from what we’ve seen in BlackBerry so far, and the image notes that the device will be rich in both power and efficiency. This device is said to be very possibly running a Texas Instruments OMAP5 or a Qualcomm Snapdragon SoC under the hood, and that it’ll be out this year – maybe.

This device has a rather thin profile, the front appears to have a nearly full-faced pane of glass to protect its touchscreen with plastic at the top and bottom – and the back is plastic as well. The BlackBerry symbol is on the back is mirrored like most BlackBerry icons on RIM smartphones are, and the device looks nearly ready for release. Is this the device RIM needs to stay afloat?

[via CrackBerry]

It also suggests that “Apple release a worker protection strategy for new product releases, which are the instances when injuries and suicides typically spike because of the incredible pressure to meet quotas timed to releases.”

Allegations of poor conditions at factories producing Apple products have lingered for some time, but flared up last week after reports that the company’s executive team knew – but did not act fully upon – the issues. An NYTimes report quoted several former and current high-profile Apple staff, anonymously, who described “an unresolved tension” within the upper echelons of the company’s command structure about the balance between producing cost-effective and timely devices, and managing worker treatment.

Tim Cook subsequently wrote an internal letter to Apple staff, promptly leaked, denying the claims and arguing that Apple always had the wellbeing of its workforce – whether directly employed or at suppliers – at the forefront of its priorities.

“Here’s the thing: you’re Apple. You’re supposed to think different. I want to continue to use and love the products you make, because they’re changing the world, and have already changed my life” Shields wrote. “But I also want to know that when I buy products from you, it’s not at the cost of horrible human suffering.”

Apple already releases an annual responsibility report, this year detailing the vast majority of its suppliers. However the company may have to do more to convince users that the iPhone, iPad and MacBook Air they covet hasn’t come at the cost of a mistreated workforce.

Update: The poll has passed the 150,000 mark, though there’s controversy over whether Apple should be held solely responsible for an issue that plagues the industry. Have your say in the poll below:

Rather than being actual WebRT Metro apps, Office 15 on Windows 8 machines will – at least initially – simply feature a more streamlined UI. The interface “will be flatter, feature more white space, and use fewer lines in an effort to focus on content” it’s said, but underneath will be the regular apps.

Interestingly, the Office 15 version for Windows 8 on ARM machines will supposedly be the desktop software as well. It will run in what’s described as a “restricted Windows 8 ARM desktop mode” that prioritizes power efficiency; it’s unclear if Microsoft will be allowing other software providers to use this wrap technology.

A proper WebRT version of Office 15 could still be in the pipeline. Meanwhile, Microsoft is supposedly readying two WebRT apps from the Office suite, at least; OneNote and Lync – the company’s digital notetaking software and its communications package – are both being prepared in Metro versions, presumably for launch alongside the first Windows 8 tablets.

Microsoft announced an Office 15 Technical Preview earlier this week, though spaces filled up before the company could even open it to the public. A beta will follow later in the year.

Toshiba launched the 3D HDTV in Japan last November, with limited availability, as the 55X3. The screen itself is a 3850 x 2160 panel – that’s Quad Full High Definition – and uses 240-zone intelligent backlighting. Toshiba has implemented a face tracking system for the glasses-free 3D, using a lenticular sheet placed across the panel, and up to nine viewers are supported simultaneously.

2D to 3D conversion is also possible, though only at 1,280 x 720 resolution. If you’re not interested in 3D, then it’s likely to be the 4k2k resolution that’s most interesting: although projectors supporting that sort of detail are reasonably broadly available, 4k2k TVs are less common.

Still unclear is price. In Japan, the 55X3 comes in at roughly $10,000, which means the set is likely to be similarly expensive when it arrives in North America.